Crypto Briefs

MoneyGram has activated a validator node on Solana and joined the blockchain's institutional developer platform, marking the payments company's third validator commitment alongside Tempo and Midnight. The move extends MoneyGram's blockchain infrastructure strategy, which previously included Stellar remittances operations.

Aptos Labs released aptos-node-v1.49.1-hotfix to address consensus and state-sync behavior affecting validator nodes on mainnet. The update aims to maintain network infrastructure alignment, though official release notes do not support claims of a critical memory-leak incident.

Lido DAO's Aragon Vote #205 executed on September 21 approved LIP-37, which upgrades the DepositSecurityModule to v5 and rotates operational keys. The vote also established a Deposit Reserve Target Easy Track mechanism with a 9,600 ETH ceiling, addressing deposit reserve management governance.

Microsoft, Coinbase, and law enforcement agencies collaborated to dismantle EvilTokens, a cybercrime network. The operation underscores the expanding role of public-private partnerships in addressing sophisticated global cybercrime targeting cryptocurrency infrastructure.

SoFiUSD, the first stablecoin issued by a US national bank, reached $150 million in circulating supply on Tuesday. Bullish became the first centralized exchange to list the token, marking an early adoption milestone for the bank-backed stablecoin.

Bitcoin's recent price recovery has renewed focus on whether the asset can reach $100,000, supported by institutional demand and shifting macroeconomic conditions. The analysis notes that while the rally strengthens the case for higher valuations, downside risks remain present in the market.

The U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control designated three individuals and six entities across Europe, Syria, Turkey, and Nigeria for facilitating cryptocurrency transfers to ISIS and its West African affiliate. The sanctions targeted money service businesses and included two TRON addresses connected to a French national involved in the scheme.

Synthetix governance has approved SIP-423 to retire sUSD entirely, freezing the stablecoin contract and converting all holdings to vested SNX at a rate of four SNX per sUSD. A companion technical implementation proposal, SIP-424, remains pending.

Cboe has introduced Bitcoin and Ether continuous futures contracts, marking a shift toward perpetual-style derivatives in the U.S. regulated market. The move reflects Wall Street's growing appetite for crypto derivatives infrastructure and signals institutional momentum toward onshore perpetuals as an alternative to offshore venues.

European central banks are pushing regulatory expansion beyond stablecoins to include crypto lending and staking yield structures, arguing that indirect yield mechanisms blur distinctions between payment tokens and bank deposits. The effort aims to prevent competitive distortion in the financial system and preserve traditional banking advantages.

Fomopeek, a malicious app distributed through Apple's App Store, has stolen nearly $580,000 in USDT by escaping iOS sandbox restrictions and exposing private keys, according to blockchain security firm SlowMist. The app, available in versions 1.1 and 1.2, reportedly compromised multiple victims' assets after installation. SlowMist began investigating the incident over the weekend following reports of stolen funds linked to exposed credentials.

The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission issued an advisory flagging manipulation and fraud risks in prediction markets that track individual behavior or mentions, such as social media activity. The warning highlights how these markets' structure may enable participants to artificially influence outcomes they're betting on, creating unique regulatory concerns distinct from traditional derivatives.

The CFTC is scrutinizing Kalshi's trading activity following approximately $5 billion in near-identical ether perpetual futures trades, according to the Wall Street Journal. The regulatory inquiry may result in heightened oversight of crypto derivatives markets and could influence how platforms structure their trading activities going forward.

Aave is evaluating a governance proposal to add Ethena's USDe stablecoin to its V4 core instance on Avalanche. USDe, which uses LayerZero's OFT architecture with a 24-hour timelock and Ethereum escrow model, is currently deployed across 31 networks but not yet live on Aave V4 Avalanche pending approval.

Aave is evaluating the addition of SG-FORGE's EURCV euro stablecoin to its V4 Ethereum core instance, with the proposal currently at the ARFC stage and conditional support from risk analyst LlamaRisk. EURCV is not yet listed in the V4 market, and Aave governance will determine whether to proceed with listing the regulated stablecoin.

Animoca Brands has suspended its reverse merger with Currenc Group, according to a statement from the gaming and Web3 company. The pause does not eliminate the possibility of a future deal between the two parties, and Animoca has indicated it continues to pursue public listing objectives through alternative means.

OpenRoboto has launched a decentralized network for egocentric robotics data built on the Bittensor blockchain. The platform aims to democratize robotics data collection and improve model training efficiency by leveraging a distributed approach to data aggregation.

Coinbase sought to launch cash-settled stock futures contracts that would provide price exposure to equities without requiring share ownership or delivery. A regulatory standstill from the CFTC has prevented the exchange from moving forward with the product launch, according to CryptoSlate reporting.

Coinbase's head of cryptography Yehuda Lindell outlined the exchange's approach to custody systems that can adapt to post-quantum signing schemes Bitcoin may eventually adopt. The strategy addresses long-term security concerns as quantum computing advances, preparing infrastructure flexible enough to support multiple cryptographic standards.

CME Group is expanding its cryptocurrency futures offerings to include both standard and micro contracts for Bitcoin Cash (BCH) and Uniswap (UNI). The move continues the exchange's strategy of broadening altcoin derivatives access alongside existing offerings for Cardano, Chainlink, Stellar, Avalanche, and Sui.

White House and Treasury officials have signaled that a comprehensive crypto regulatory framework won't advance during Congress's lame-duck session, shifting focus to regulatory agencies to implement existing authority. The comments suggest expectations for potential legislation like the Clarity Act are now tied to post-election momentum rather than immediate congressional action.

A post-quantum cryptography solution called PQLN could protect Bitcoin against quantum computing threats while leaving Lightning Network privacy vulnerable, according to CryptoSlate. The protocol secures five off-chain surfaces with sub-millisecond cryptography but increases gossip protocol downloads by 10.2 times in its default configuration, raising scalability trade-offs.

Four dormant wallets holding decade-old Bitcoin transferred 1,971 BTC between September 6 and 22, including a 600 BTC ($51.9M) transaction completed hours before publication. Three of the four wallets are associated with the "Noah Doe" lawsuit, raising questions about whether legal proceedings or settlement activity drove the movement.

Senator Cynthia Lummis said Democrats prioritized opposition to Donald Trump over supporting the cryptocurrency Clarity Act, which failed to advance last week. Lummis called on the crypto industry to publicly attribute the bill's defeat to Democratic opposition, marking the first public statement from the senator following the vote.

Three crypto banks—Agora, Catena, and Bastion—have received federal approval but still require final regulatory conversion, leaving their competitive prospects uncertain. Success will depend on distribution networks and liquidity management rather than regulatory status alone, according to the analysis.

An Aave ARFC proposal seeks to increase collateral efficiency for ETH- and Bitcoin-linked assets, with WETH loan-to-value raised to 81% and liquidation threshold to 84%. The parameters remain under governance discussion and are not yet implemented, as Aave evaluates whether borrowers should access more capital against major crypto collateral.

Bitcoin Cash (BCH) led the top 100 crypto assets with a 28% gain over 24 hours, according to Crypto Briefing. The outlet attributes the surge to potential increased institutional adoption that could drive broader market interest and investment.

Jamie Selway, an SEC official, has advocated for bipartisan political support for tokenization and cryptocurrency, arguing that such backing could accelerate market modernization while balancing innovation with regulatory oversight. The statement reflects an institutional push toward inclusive policymaking in the digital-assets space.

Robinhood's stock tokens recorded a 160% surge in holder counts over a 30-day period, according to Crypto Briefing. The growth suggests a potential shift toward longer-term investment strategies among tokenized equity users, with possible implications for market liquidity and volatility.

Bitcoin approached $86,000 as spot taker flow and realized-cap growth improved, but large capital exits from ETFs and rising futures exposure signaled profit-taking pressure. The combination of inflows to on-chain metrics alongside ETF withdrawals suggests mixed sentiment among institutional investors.